Nirvana are one of the most influential bands in rock history, and even now, nearly 20 years after Kurt Cobain’s death, the reverence in which they are held is undiminished.

Books have been written about Nirvana before, but they tend to concentrate on the band’s superstar period and Kurt Cobain’s demise, while skating over the early years. In Entertain Us, Gillian Gaar redresses the balance by examining in forensic detail the band’s rise to fame, and their first album, Bleach.

Seattle native Gaar was one of the first journalists to write about Nirvana, and she covered the band’s career closely, offering her a unique perspective to write this book. Drawing on extensive interviews with the key characters in the story—including bassist Krist Novoselic, drummer Chad Channing, and producers Jack Endino and Butch Vig—the book charts the band’s formation and early years as well as their role at the center of the grunge gold rush.

By critiquing every song the band recorded in this period, tracing influences and unpicking complex relationships between band members, associates, and record labels, Gaar gets to the heart of a compelling story.